PDC 2005: What, Why, When and How

On September 11, thousands of developers will flood downtown Los Angeles for Microsoft's 2005 Professional Developers Conference. Expectations are high, as the event will offer the first real peek into the inner workings of Windows Vista, along with sessions covering everything from WinFX to Whidbey, to Office 12.

Even if you won't be attending the sold-out PDC this year, you can still follow the event online. DVDs of keynotes and sessions will be available to purchase as well. BetaNews will be covering the conference live from Los Angeles, and Microsoft is also hosting PDC blogs via MSDN and Channel 9.

With less than two weeks to go, we have put together a brief primer on what to expect at PDC 2005.

WHAT: The PDC is an event for Microsoft developers to connect and learn about next-generation technologies, so they can build applications that are ready to ship alongside new Microsoft products. Developers will also be treated to keynotes from top Microsoft executives including Bill Gates, Jim Allchin, Steven Sinofsky and Bob Muglia.

Along with an expo floor showcasing Windows Vista where attendees can schmooze with Microsoft partners, "Breakout" sessions will take place during the day. Hundreds of specialized sessions will detail future Microsoft platforms, while high-level sessions delve into the nitty-gritty code.

WHY: Following the cancellation of last year's PDC, developers are eager for a taste of Microsoft's latest technologies. PDC 2003 offered an initial look at Vista, then code-named Longhorn, but this year's conference will truly prepare developers for the new Windows release.

PDC 2005 is a must for anyone looking to develop applications using Visual Studio 2005, due in November, and the new WinFX APIs that will debut in Vista. Web applications will also be covered with sessions on SQL Server 2005, and RSS integration into Windows.

Community will play a major role at the PDC as well. Ask the Expert forums will open the show floor for questions while Birds of a Feather sessions cover a range of topics hosted by developers, for developers.

WHERE: Downtown Los Angeles, California

WHEN: September 13 - September 16, 2005; Pre-conference sessions begin September 11, 2005

HOW:

Windows Vista: The next release of Windows formerly known as Longhorn, which is due in 2006. Vista is expected to introduce a number of new features, including a revamped security model to better protect end-users, a new graphics subsystem, reliability improvements to keep applications from crashing, integrated RSS, along with overhauled mobile capabilities.

WinFX: One of the "Fundamentals" of Vista, WinFX is the new application programming interface (API) that lays the framework for the new Windows release. WinFX is composed of the .NET Framework, Avalon and Indigo.

Windows Presentation Foundation (Avalon): Avalon is the new graphics subsystem in Vista. It will utilize Direct3D, which will enable advanced graphical capabilities that tap into a system's hardware. Developers can take advantage of Avalon to create completely custom designed applications, along with effects such as transparency and shading.

WPF also introduces a new programming language called XAML, which is based upon XML. XAML was created to streamline and speed up application development by separating the interface from program code.

Windows Communication Foundation (Indigo): Built around a Web services architecture, Indigo is the next-generation communications platform within Vista. Developers can create applications without having to worry about network complexities by simply calling Indigo functions.

Indigo will include native support for IPv6, WS-* and RSS. It will also introduce a new Peer Channel that will serve as the foundation for peer-to-peer communications.

WinFS: Windows Future Storage was slated to be the next-generation file system to debut with Windows Vista. But the technology was shelved in August 2004 due to concerns that too many changes would push Vista beyond its 2006 release timeframe. However, Microsoft has now resurrected WinFS and is also back-porting the technology to Windows XP.

WinFS sits atop NTFS and tracks metadata for all files on a system to improve organizing, searching and sharing of information. Applications may also store data directly in WinFS, which is based on Microsoft's SQL Server 2005 technology.

Internet Explorer 7: One major focus of solving Windows' security woes is plugging the holes in Internet Explorer. Although Microsoft originally planned to drop standalone IE development altogether, the company reversed course following a spate of high-profile vulnerabilities and external pressure from the likes of Firefox and Opera.

IE7 has been rewritten to ensure Web surfers stay protected from the latest dangerous code - be it trojan, worm or phishing scam. The browser will also include a new protected mode to keep the core of Windows inaccessible to Web sites. Microsoft has also endowed IE7 with a number of functional improvements including tabbed browsing, pop-up blocking and a built-in RSS feed reader.

Monad: Although it is expected to be the new command line shell in Vista, Monad's future is not set in stone. Because Monad's capabilities are so vast, some security experts have expressed concerns. For example, while Monad can be used to manage Exchange 12 via the command line, malicious scripts could easily take control of an entire system.

Visual Studio 2005 (Whidbey): The oft-delayed new Visual Studio release will finally launch on November 7. The programming suite will draw on Microsoft's latest technologies to enable developers to create next-generation applications atop Windows Vista and more.

SQL Server 2005 (Yukon): Aside from powering WinFS, Yukon will finally replacing the aging SQL Server 2000 with a modern database. Along with native support for XML, Yukon will feature built-in reporting services, improved debugging, cross-domain queries and data mirroring functionality.

Exchange 12: The newest Exchange Server release brings to the table a number of improvements over Exchange 2003. At the top of the list is a new universal message store designed for IM, e-mail, faxes, and voicemail. Microsoft has also notably upgraded the Web access feature, which will let users view and send messages using a Web browser in an environment that mirrors Outlook.

Office 12: Although Microsoft hasn't said much about the next release of Office, PDC 2005 will likely offer further clues. One major change will be the introduction of completely new file formats, dubbed Microsoft Office Open XML. The formats will utilize ZIP compression and prevent data corruption.

As a consequence of being XML-based, the interoperability capabilities of Office have risen dramatically. Applications and systems such as databases can access the content of documents and spreadsheets for queries or data entry, making those processes autonomous and virtually hands free.

XPS (Metro): The XML Paper Specification is seen by many as Microsoft's shot across Adobe's bow. A key feature of the specification is the XPS Document Format, previously known as Metro Reach. It uses XML to describe the layout of documents and how they should be rendered.

XPS will be tightly integrated into Windows Vista and directly leverage the WinFX programming model and Avalon graphics subsystem. Because XPS support is built into the system, Windows can display XPS documents using Avalon without launching an external application.